


Sunrise,Sunset

by Writing Cat and Dog (CrowleyGirl)



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 09:24:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8885539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrowleyGirl/pseuds/Writing%20Cat%20and%20Dog
Summary: Sunrises throughout Legolas's life. A few sunsets too.





	

Sunrise

A little blonde child stands in the chill darkness, cloak wrapped tightly around him to stave off the frost. The forest is always quietest at this hour, just before dawn. In a few minutes a raven will caw, a songbird will trill, and the air will be alive with birdsong carried on a faint breeze stirred by the sun warmed morning air. Will the light be golden this morning? Pink? There is no knowing what the future will bring. This is why I love morning, thinks the child, smiling to himself as the first streaks of pre dawn light breathe life into his world.

Sunrise.

This morning is different. Warm, misty, and filled with the song of grieving trees. The child stands in a clearing, a comforting hand on his shoulder. Before him is a newly planted sapling, a willow, that sways gently in the breeze. He is dressed in the dark shades of sorrow, weeping. And so they stood, the boy and his father, as the sun rose over his mother's grave.

Sunrise

He hears a soft voice speak behind him.  
"It's always the most beautiful in Rivendell, isn't it?" Says Aragorn, coming up beside him. His hair is clean, his eyes weary but bright. The white robe he wears flutters in the moist breeze.  
The elf inclines his head towards the heir, "Estel." He returns to watching the sun rise over the valley, pink and gold light shattering through waterfalls and glancing off white pillars. "Everything is."  
"Come, the Council awaits." Aragorn beckons him, "We'll have time to watch the sun later."

Sunrise.

He misses it. The darkness is thick and all-consuming, swallowing up Gandalf's scant light until he can only see faint flickers. Claustrophobia sets in, the crushing closeness of the caves making him want to scream. To relax, he imagines the sun in all its glory, its rays warming his face and giving him strength. Even the dwarf, who was born and raised underground, seemed uncomfortable.  
"Relax little elfling, the dark's nothing to be afraid of." Gimli growls at him. In the few minutes until Gandalf shushes them, their banter distracts him from the crushing dark.

Sunrise

"Sleep, I'll keep watch." He says in the blackness of pre-dawn, looking on as Aragorn and Gimli lay underneath an overlapping rock.  
As his companions sleep in the lee of the outcropping, Legolas dangles his legs off the edge, keeping a weather eye on the men and the plain as he takes a moment to enjoy his favourite time of day. The sun is full in the sky, the openness of the ground before him revealing it in all its splendour. Upon hearing a snort from below, he looks down to see golden light striking the side of Gimli's face, and smiles to himself. 

Sunrise

Legolas approaches Gimli from behind, "It's beautiful isn't it?"  
The dwarf is standing out at the very edge of the ledge overlooking the Fields of Pelennor. Five more steps forward would take him to his death.  
"Hmf," Gimli grumbles, "I prefer sunset."  
Legolas smiles good-humoredly, looking at the rising sun and not at the dwarf, "You would."

Sunset

Two hundred years later and an ocean away, Gimli is old, and he lays his head on Legolas's lap, saying, "Sunset always was my favourite time of day."  
Legolas looks down at him, stroking his thick, white hair, "You told me that once, in the few days before Aragorn was crowned and we departed to Fangorn."  
Gimli glances up at him and scrunches his brows, "You remember that?"  
Legolas smiles, "Of course. Now rest."

Sunset

Gimli dies a few days later. They bury him in the manner of the elves, with a sapling planted over him. Later, after the funeral, Legolas sits by his grave, watching the sun set.


End file.
